In Darkness And Light
by skyefalling
Summary: "Something is coming, Queen Elsa," She whispered, and Elsa could only watch in horror. Set after the events of frozen. Elsa's powers have not gone unnoticed, and a dark stranger is in Arandelle. Might feature other Disney characters later. AnnaxKristoff, ElsaxOC, f/f in later chapters
1. Chapter 1-Mysterious And Evil

Far away, in an incredibly top secret and evil location, five mysterious evil villains were preparing for an incredibly important top secret evil meeting. The mysterious evil villains were each dressed in sinisterly evil black robes, their faces concealed by hoods. They were sitting around a menacing green fire, which had been procured in a very mysterious and evil way.

One of the mysterious evil villains was talking quietly to the others, in the kind of low voice that lets anyone who is listening know how incredibly top secret and evil the words being said are. Although if someone did happen to stumble across this top secret evil meeting, what this villain was saying would be the least of this persons worries.

While the first mysterious villain was talking, the mysterious villain on his right had pulled out a very secret and evil looking piece of paper, and was sketching out some malevolent symbols with an old but none the less mysterious and evil piece of willowstick. The other three villains were all listening intently, though not too intently, as they all knew it was unwise to let their guard down, especially in a place as top secret and evil as the one they were in.

"It won't be long now," The figure was saying, who just so happened to be the mysterious host of this top secret evil meeting.

"Are you sure?" One of the figures on front of him replied, in a soft female voice, "they won't be able to find us so easily"

"No, but they have been planning." The mysterious evil host replied, his hands so close to the fire that emerald green flames licked at his fingertips, "And they may very well have a new weapon"

"Planning for what though?" The mysterious evil villain in front of him asked again. She sounded rather amused, "Surely no amount of mortals or others could even come close in a fight against one of us"

The host stood up suddenly, causing the figure who had been writing to look up nervously.

"Do not underestimate the power that mortals can wield," He said, his voice rising, "I have seen it myself I have fought against them, my strength matched. And i have been overpowered"

The silence hung in the air like fog

"So we will be fighting back then" The figure on his left said. It was a statement, not a question. He had a deep voice, and a thick accent.

The female figure clicked her tongue impatiently. "fighting against what?"

"A mortal woman has developed powers over ice, the queen of a faraway kingdom, no less"

Although there were murmurs around the fire at this from the other three villains, the female still sounded unimpressed.

"Magic runs in a lot of mortal families. It shows itself sometimes. So what of this one?"

"She froze an entire kingdom. By accident."

The secret evil host paused for dramatic effect, and it worked, as the figures around him grew silent. Then he continued.

"Although the queen, she is a regular human. She has grown up with no training, no spell books or others with power. And yet she was born with stronger powers than many sorcerers I've seen. This is not something to be taken lightly."

No one seemed to know how to reply to this, and for a few seconds all that could be heard was the spitting of the flames.

"They will try to recruit her" it came from the man with the accent. Again, it was a statement.

"Not if we get there first!" It was the female figure. She then, to the slight surprise of the other mysterious evil villains around her, pulled down her hood to reveal long black hair and striking grey eyes.

"I will stop her," Her eyes gleamed maliciously, "I can get her to join our side"  
"Are you sure?" The mysterious evil host was watching the figure in front of him intently from behind his hood, "There would be consequences if you failed,"  
"I wont fail. It will be our side gaining a weapon!"

She glanced around at the other evil villains, as if daring them to speak out, but they remained silent, the figure to her left still sketching away on the piece of parchment.

"Ok then"

The female and the other villains around her gave involuntary shudders as the mysterious host pulled back his hood, giving them glimpses of crimson eyes that seemed to be staring at all of them at once. He smiled, revealing slightly pointed teeth. There was no denying how truly evil and mysterious he looked.

"Meeting dismissed,"

* * *

At the same time as this incredibly top secret evil meeting was taking place, hundreds of miles away in the kingdom of Arandelle, Elsa was bored. She was trying very hard not to let it show, though her patience was slowly reaching its end. She was reading the trading letters in front of her with a lot of concentration, as if there was nothing in the world more interesting, her eyes narrowed, her hair tied up in a business like bun.

Anna, however, was not making nearly as much of an effort. She was sitting slumped in her seat, her head resting on the desk, glaring at the unopened letter, as though it had just insulted her.

"Look, no offense Elsa," Anna said eventually, looking up at her sister who's eyes were still fixated on the piece of paper in her hands, "But this is really boring,"

Elsa didn't look up. "Fixing secure trades with other kingdoms is incredibly important Anna, and is a necessary requirement for-"  
"Yes, i know that," Anna interrupted with a sigh, rolling her eyes, "but it can wait can't it?"  
Elsa didn't reply, so the redhead tried again, a tentative grin on her face "wanna build a snowman?"

This caused Elsa to glance up, a smile playing around her lips. Anna looked back at her, teal eyes hopeful. Elsa was very tempted to say yes, but forced herself to look back at the letter. "Not today"  
Anna sank a little, looking at the letter in front of her, then at Elsa, then at the window, and at Elsa again.

"We could go skating?" She suggested hopefully, "I can almost stand up on the ice without falling now!"

Elsa stifled a giggle.

"You could come visit Kristoff with me? You know the trolls adore you. Or we could just go exploring. Seriously Elsa, the possibilities are endless!"

Elsa had opened her mouth to say no, before she realised that she had been reading the same two lines over again for the past five minutes.

"Okay," She agreed, looking up at Anna with a cheeky grin. "No more work for today"

Anna's face lit up, and she stood up so quickly that her chair was knocked over. She picked it up, still grinning. "You wont regret it, i promise!"

Elsa, grinned back, and let her platinum blonde hair out into its signature braid. Ever since her disastrous coronation, which was followed by a lot of drama, her life had actually become good. She could control her ice, and people seemed to have forgiven her for the freezing incident. Best of all though, she had her sister back, and they were closer than ever.

"Alright Anna." She said, looking lovingly into her younger sisters excited face, "What shall we do?"


	2. Chapter 2-Preparations

There was to be a ball, and Anna could hardly contain her excitement. Elsa had announced it that morning, to her and the castle staff, telling them to spread the word to the townspeople.

"As you know, our previous trading partner has..well..is...not our partner in trade any longer, and it is crucial for us to secure new trades with other kingdoms. I think a friendly event such as a ball would be the best way to strengthen the friendships between us and them. I also think it would pose as a good time for me to apologize personally for the events of my coronation, which may have impacted them more than we thought."  
Elsa was standing straight, her face unflinching, but Anna could see her hands shaking slightly as she addressed the people in front of her. It was one of the many things that Anna greatly admired about her older sister, she never let her nervousness of being queen show. When Elsa had her queen face on, it was hard to believe that she was only 21. Elsa's ice blue eyes lingered on Anna's, and Anna gave her a reassuring smile and a thumbs up.

Despite Anna's respect and love for her sister however, when Elsa began to explain in detail the plans for her trading arrangements, her thoughts began to wander.

_There was going to be another ball at Arandelle!_ The last one had been nice at the start, before Anna had gone and spoiled it all by getting engaged to a mad axe murderer, but this one would be even better. She would finally have something formal to take Kristoff too, and he could hardly argue this time, not when it was so important.

The ball would be perfect, not just for her but for Elsa too. Anna would make sure of it.

"To the ball...with you?"  
Kristoff went a little pink, and he stuttered slightly. Anna couldn't help but smile at his awkwardness.

"Of course Kristoff, who else would I go with?"  
Kristoff still looked a little nervous, so Anna grabbed his hand and leaned in closer. "Pleeeease! I know it will be amazing!"

"I..dont...can't...dance...I," Kristoff muttered to himself, but catching a look at Anna's face, he sighed and said, "sure Anna, I would love to go with you"  
Anna grinned, and pulled Kristoff closer to her, giving him a quick kiss before saying, "Thank you. I knew you would say yes"  
They then sat down on Kristoff's sled next to each other, leaning back and gazing at the clear sky, Anna's hand small hand resting on top of Kristoff's large one.

"You know," Anna said quietly, after a few minutes silence, "I'm a little worried about Elsa,"  
Kristoff turned his head over to Anna, looking worried, "Really? What's wrong with her?"  
"Nothing wrong with her!" Anna assured him, "It's just, she's been working so hard lately, fixing up the kingdom and stuff. Ive been trying to help her out, but i'm so useless. I'm probably annoying her even."

"You're not useless!" Kristoff protested, "You're like, the bravest person I've ever met! And the kindest, and the prettiest and-"

Anna smiled, and squeezed his hand, but then sighed, and stared out at the trees around them. "I just want this ball to be fun for her, but she's just acting like its all about work and trading arrangements."  
Apparently Kristoff didn't know how to reply to this, and Anna didn't really expect an answer. It was very peaceful in the forest, away from all the noise of the town. Sven was standing a few metres away from them, happily nibbling on leaves. Anna could hear Kristoff's warm breath as she shuffled closer to him, and rested her head on his shoulder.

But suddenly she had an idea.

"Kristoff," She said slowly.

"Mhmm?" Kristoff replied in a muffled voice. Apparently he had started to doze off.

"Youre Mr. love expert right? Do two people always fall in love immediately, or can they grow to love each other?"

"Uhmm," Kristoff pulled himself up, "You know, when i call myself a love expert, i'm usually exaggerating Anna."  
"Yes, I know that," Anna pulled herself up too, a new feeling of excitement growing in her, "But if two people were introduced, such as, i don't know, off the top of my head, a queen and a prince maybe? Could they learn to love each other?"

Kristoff laughed, and looked comically at Anna, his shaggy blond hair falling in his face, "This is about Elsa, isn't it?"

"No! Well, maybe…"

"Hmm," Kristoff paused, "Well true love can come from anywhere really, in all shapes and forms. But that doesn't mean that everyone can be in love," He scratched his head, "That's what Pabbie says anyway" He looked suspiciously at Anna, "Why, are you planning something?"  
Anna tried to shake her head, but her mischievous smile gave it all away.

* * *

The blazing summer heat had taken its toll on the kingdom of Arandelle, causing the streets to be crowded with civilians. Children played about happily, and sweaty townspeople went about their business with a spring in their step. After the kingdom had been frozen at the queens coronation, summer seemed like a blissful luxury, and they were all treating it like one.

In fact, the streets were so busy, and the people so engulfed in their own thoughts, that they barely gave a passing glance to the tall, hooded figure that walked among them, and stood watching them, sometimes for hours, taking in their happiness, and their laughter.

And silently groaning to herself.

Raven had not peacefully visited a human town in many years, but it was just as awful as she remembered.

They were all so painfully oblivious to anything that didn't concern them. And so trusting. And far too happy. She half expected them all to burst into song any minute and start dancing, as ridiculous as it was. She stood back, observed them, making mental notes of how they talked, how they acted. Afterwards, she went up to two women who had been chatting together on a corner, and talked to them, taking on the voice of a middle aged man.

She almost laughed at their stupidity. She had asked about the queen, as a passing remark, and the plump sandy haired woman who had introduced herself as Merelda had gushed on about "the beloved queen Elsa and princess Anna" Who were oh the beautifullest and kindest of people, looking after the kingdom, year long ice skating, blah blah blah.

When Merelda had mentioned the everlasting winter, The other woman, Rosalyn , had quickly butted in.

"Oh but you must not blame the queen of course, it was all an accident, the poor dearie. Didn't know how to control her powers, just wanted to protect her little sister."

"Yes, nearly frightened me out of my skin though, mind you, when she first used them. Made icicles appear out of thin air, never seen anything like it. You don't see much magic around these parts"

"Do you ever see her? The Queen?" Raven, still with the voice of a man, made the question sound like she was only slightly interested, though she didn't think the women would have ever suspected anything.

"Oh, now and then," Merelda replied, waving her hand, "She comes out to ice skate sometimes, or just walks around town. We see a lot more of her sister though, usually with that blond boy. Friendly one, she is. Anyone can approach her and she'll talk to them"

It was laughable. The stupid women had given away valuable information about the queen, not only to a stranger but to a masked stranger. Raven didn't find it the least bit surprising that they had almost been taken over during that two day everlasting winter.

"It's lucky that the princess is so brave," Rosalyn was babbling on, practically talking to herself, "that Hans fellow nearly killed the queen! It was Anna who stopped him"

"Thank the goddess for that" Raven muttered sarcastically. If the queen had been killed that day it would have definitely saved a lot of time. Mortals were so bloody inefficient sometimes.

Raven thanked the two women half-heartedly, and continued along the streets. She wandered about the mysterious queen Elsa, who everyone spoke so highly of. So far, from the information Raven had, the queen, although she possessed a lot of power, had absolutely no idea what to use them for. In fact, she had only just figured out how not to kill everyone she touched.

Charming.

It was rather curious though, Raven remarked to herself, powerful magic and running a kingdom was probably the worst combination of anything for a human to have, yet somehow this queen didn't seem to have any kind of evil intentions. A pity really, all that wasted potential.

"Or not" she said quietly to herself. Raven had come here with a task, and she didn't intend to fail.

* * *

"And you were planning on telling me when exactly?!"

Elsa had cornered Anna in the study, catching her in the middle of writing something that she had quickly tried, and failed, to hide.

"His name is Tobias," Anna said sheepishly, her cheeks turning pink, "Prince Tobias of the eastern isles. Kai and Gerda have been there, and apparently he's very kind. And handsome" she looked up hopefully, but Elsa didn't move.

"How many more princes did you invite?" Elsa demanded, a little louder than she had intended.

"Only three more, I promise! It's just a ball, so if you don't like them, you don't have to see them again. You don't even have to dance with them if you don't want to!" Anna was rambling, which Elsa knew meant she was very nervous, "I know Hans was a mistake, but not all princes are like that. Anyway, you saw right through him. And you never know, you might even find true love!"

Elsa was exasperated. "You could have told me. We could've discussed it together!"

"I know, I'm sorry" Anna bowed her head down, admitting defeat, "I was just scared you would say no"

Elsa sighed and sat down. There was not much point in arguing, what was done was done. To be perfectly honest with herself, she didn't know why she was making such a big deal out of it. She had always known she would have to choose a suitor eventually, it was what queens did, and an arranged ball would certainly save her the task of going out and meeting someone herself. Besides, dancing with a few princes couldn't hurt right?

"Fine," she said eventually, "you win"

Anna grinned happily and grasped the blonde's hands in hers. "All right! It will be fun, I promise! They will be practically murdering each other to talk to you"

Elsa raised her eyebrow, and Anna faltered slightly, "ok, bad choice of words. But you know what I mean," her smile returned suddenly, "and guess what? Rapunzel and her husband agreed to come! Our cousin! They were actually at your coronation, but well, with you freezing the entire kingdom we never really got introduced. But it's good to know that they weren't too put off by the whole ordeal"

Elsa had heard stories about the kingdom of Corona, and the lost princess. Apparently she had very, very long hair that had magical properties when she sang. It had sounded a little far fetched to Elsa, but who was she to talk?

After Anna had skipped away, Elsa rested her head in her hands, wondering what she had just agreed to. The whole fairy tale "true love" thing just seemed so incredibly foreign to Elsa. And as much as she tried, she just couldn't imagine herself marrying, and sharing the kingdom with someone. It even scared her somewhat. "It's just the long isolation," she thought to herself firmly. She was sure she would warm up to the idea eventually.

**A/N: Thank you so much for viewing/reading. Suggestions are very welcome and will most likely be put into consideration. The story will heat up, don't worry. Please review! Have a nice day :)**


	3. Chapter 3-A Hooded Stranger

**A/N: Wow, a longer chapter! Please read and review, it will make my day :)**

The sun was setting, and it was getting gradually darker by the minute. She sat in a pub, alone at a table in the corner. It was a small place, and obviously hadn't been cleaned in a good while, there were rat droppings everywhere, and the windows were so grimy that you could barely see out of them. Still, it was relatively warm, and best of all quiet. She very much needed time to think.

They were on their way. The enemy. She could tell. They were coming.

Or, at least someone was. It was about the ice queen, no doubt. Raven couldn't tell who exactly was coming, from what family, what land, but it was definitely someone powerful. And definitely not an evil villain like herself.

Raven sighed, and took a sip of her drink. For the first time since she had arrived in Arandelle, she wasn't wearing her cloak or her hood. She was instead wearing a simple black jacket, and brown leggings, and her long dark hair was loose over her shoulders. She had gotten some strange looks when walking down the street, but it didn't bother her. She was used to it, and besides, if any drunken idiot gave her trouble she could easily deal with them. What she was more worried about however, was whoever was coming. Raven had hoped that she would have more time to complete her task, to find the queen and get her to choose a side. However vague that stupid villain had been, he definitely made it clear that something bad _was _coming, and that it might even involve mortals too. If her time was running out, Raven knew she would have to work faster. She was definitely capable of taking on anyone that threatened her, as there weren't many who could match her in power. However, socialising with mortals had never really been her strong point. Raven sighed again. She would have to try.

Scowling, she stood up, drained the last of her drink, grabbed her cloak, and made her way to the front of the bar. An old man with greasy grey hair was washing out a mug with a filthy rag. He eyed her suspiciously.

"Waddaya want?" His voice was wheezy, and he was missing quite a few teeth. He glared at her.

"Room," Raven glared back at him. She set a handful of coins on the counter.

The man scooped them up, and counted them, examining each one closely, while not taking his eyes off her. Eventually, he decided they were good enough, and he gestured to a door to her right, and shoving a key into her hand.

"Second door,"

Raven grunted, "thanks," then headed up. The room was small, but not as dirty as she had expected, and it had a window that overlooked the street. It would do, she thought. And no one would even think to look for her here.

3 hours later it was dark, and Raven was lying on the squishy bed, deep in concentration. A ball of light was hovering in her hands, and she blew on it, causing it to light aflame. A second later though, she sat up, startled, and the light disappeared with a puff of smoke. She raced over to the window, wrenching it open and staring out into the darkness. She had felt it nearby. The presence of magic. Faint, but unmistakably there._ Had she made a mistake? Were the enemy already here?_ Then she saw movement down on the street, and she didn't wait. Raven closed her eyes, pictured the dirty footpath, and in a flash she had appeared there. The figure ahead of her was moving fast, and obviously trying to keep hidden, though doing a rather poor job of it. As Raven ran to catch up with them, she saw them stumble and curse, before continuing on. Raven, suddenly realising that she wasn't wearing her cloak ducked into an alleyway, and muttered a concealment spell. It was a risky spell, one she had never really gotten the hang of, but if this stranger was a threat, it would be unwise to let them see her true face. Now, if anyone saw her, they would forget what she looked like once they turned away. It had cost her time though, and even though Raven could faintly hear the strangers footsteps, they were out of sight. Cursing under her breath, Raven sped towards the sound, her natural instinct of running quietly kicking in. The streets were empty, and only a few windows remained alight, as Raven dashed through them, dark hair flying behind her. She quickly calculated where they were heading, and she ducked into an alleyway and ran through it. She was catching up to the stranger now, they were slowing, and Raven could hear panting. They had stopped, and she was near, she could see them. Raven leaped forward, and pinned the figure, who was a lot smaller than she had anticipated, down. They cried out, and struggled, their hood falling down to reveal.

Raven stopped for a second, and loosened her grip. It was a young woman, a girl really, with auburn hair tied up in two braids, and scared looking teal eyes. She was looking up at raven with a pleading look on her face.

"I...I'm sorry," she blurted out, "I..I was just visiting a..um,.friend and it got so late, but I had to go back home but it was so dark and I got lost and, well I don't come here much and i didn't want to disturb anyone and-"

The girl stopped mid babbling sentence, catching sight of Raven, and her mouth fell open slightly. They stared at one another for a few seconds, Raven growing increasingly irritated. This human girl hadn't exactly been what she expected to see. She could sense the trace of magic, yet this girl obviously wasn't a sorcerer of any kind, or she would have shown it by now. Raven was pretty formidable looking. People always seemed to have a negative reaction to her appearance.

"Who are you?" Raven finally asked, releasing her hold on her girl, but keeping her hand ready in case she tried to run.

"I'm," the girl mumbled, standing up straighter, though she was still at least a foot shorter than Raven. "I'm Anna. Princess Anna of Arandelle. So of, well, here," she finished weakly, her cheeks turning pink.

Raven stared at the small, bedraggled redhead in front of her. Was she telling the truth? Raven was very good at noticing lies, and the girl seemed sincere. But why on earth was she here.

Anna seemed to figure out what Raven was thinking, and said, "I was visiting my friend Kristoff. He lives in the mountains. Arandelles official ice harvester see, except I don't know if it's actually a real thing," she stole a wary glance at Raven, then continued, "I didn't notice how late it was, and then it was dark, and I knew Elsa would worry about me, so I hurried back, except I got lost, and then you came and...yeah"

She looked worriedly at Raven, who stared back, her eyebrow raised. She wondered what to do now.

Might as well cut to the chase, she thought.

"Have you been using magic?"

Anna's eyes widened. "No!" She exclaimed, "i can't do magic? That's Elsa you're thinking of! I'm just Anna, totally normal Anna."

Raven was unimpressed. "I can sense magic on you." On the off chance the girl was trying to trick her, Raven had to make sure.

"What!?" Anna looked confusedly up at her. "I'm..no..what!?"

Raven sighed. This girl obviously knew nothing. "Sorry I attacked you," she told her, "I felt the magic, and thought you might be a threat."

She had been stupid, Raven realised it now. The trace of magic was very faint, and if she had thought about it more carefully she would have seen that it could never have been any kind of threat. She turned away, expecting the girl to scarper off to wherever she had been going, but instead she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned back to face Anna, surprised.

"Wait! Um, about the magic thing," Anna looked nervous, but she was looking into Ravens eyes now without flinching. "My sister, well, she kind of froze my heart. It was an accident though, but well, I almost died, and she brought me back. You know, true love and stuff. Maybe that's why you can sense it?"

Raven didn't really care how this girl happened to have magic on her. She had no powers, so what did it matter? But Anna looked very intrigued, so Raven gave it some thought.

"It could be to do with that," Raven answered, "being touched my magic as powerful as that will always have some effect. You might find out someday. But its nothing to worry about,"

Again, Raven tried to turn away, and again, Anna pulled her back.

"But wait!" She was looking very interested in Raven all of a sudden, "You're a, well you're um," She looked like she was debating what to say, "Not from around here. And you know about magic. No one else know anything about magic around here, except for the trolls, but they are always so vague. You should come with me to the palace! We hardly know anything about Elsa's powers, and she still can't wholly control them,"

Raen stared in disbelief. She had just chased and attacked Anna, _and _accused her of using magic. Now she was asking Raven to accompany her to the palace. It was a miracle she was still alive.

Raven considered this. It could definitely be a way to get closer to the ice queen, to learn about her powers. But she shook her head. It just didn't feel right. Family always complicated things, Raven knew that. Love, family, friendship, all that fairytale nonsense, it always got in the way. The Queen would have to make her choice alone.

"Im sorry," Raven said, and Anna looked crestfallen. Raven turned away, and this time, the girl didn't stop her. Before she disappeared however, Raven turned back, giving the faintest of smiles in Annas direction..

"Im sure we'll meet again, princess. Watch your back!"  
And with that, she walked into the darkness, smiling to herself. She never had been able to resist a little drama.

* * *

"Ready?"

"Ready"

It was time. The guests from kingdoms all over were about to arrive in Arandelle, and Elsa had wasted no time and effort in making them all presentable. Kristoff had never had the need to dress formally before, although he preferred his mountain gear anyway. He was dressed in a handsome navy blue suit, which had been custom made for him by the castles tailor. His usually shaggy blonde hair was now sleek and shiny, and he felt as though every inch of dirt had been washed off him. He had been very impressed with himself when he had looked in the mirror.

Him, Anna and Queen Elsa and Sven were going down to personally greet the new arrivals, and according to Anna, who had been skipping around the castle all day, the townspeople had all gathered to watch them. There had been some argument about taking Sven with them, but Anna knew that Kristoff was a lot less nervous with him around, and Anna could talk Elsa into anything if she tried hard enough.

To be perfectly honest though, Kristoff _was _nervous, and was very overwhelmed by the whole thing. He was no prince. He was a commoner, an orphan ice boy, who had grown up with trolls. Suits and manners and formal events were not his thing. If he wasn't such a sucker for seeing Anna's happy face, he probably would've flat out refused to do this. Their cousin rapunzel would even be there. What would she think of him? She was almost the only family they had left, what if she didn't approve of him? It had certainly kept him up at night.

Anna definitely looked beautiful today. Her hair was in a similar hairstyle to the day of Elsas coronation, and seeing her dressed up like this made Kristoff smile and remember the dishevelled, determined girl who he had met at the trading post. The fact that she actually loved him was almost unbelievable.

Elsa looked stunning, as usual. She had procured her dress out of ice in front of them, something which Kristoff had never seen her do before, and he was not disappointed. He had been so amazed by it that Anna had had to pull him away.

Now they were standing outside the castle doors, preparing for their grand entrance. Sven was definitely nervous, and he hadn't refrained from expressing this to them. Kristoff had told him to relax, but it didn't seem to help.

He looked over to Anna, who was positively bouncing with excitement. As a sudden thought, he offered her his arm, which she took happily. He felt better when he was next to her.

_Who knows_, he thought, as they pushed the doors open, _this whole ball thing might actually be nice._

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

* * *

The streets were packed, flags were out, and the air stunk of excitement and happiness.

Raven stood, hood still up, near the back of a giant crowd of people. She was tall enough to see over most people, and anyway, she wasn't all that interested. It was extraordinary how excited everyone was, there were whispers and cheers and laughter. By asking a couple of small kids, Raven had learned that the queen was coming to greet the new arrivals, the representatives from each kingdom who would attend the upcoming royal ball. Apparently, there was going to be lots of royal talk, and royal dancing, and even some royal suitors who would try and capture queen elsa's fancy. It made Raven grimace to even think about, she almost felt sorry for the queen.

The murmurs in the crowd grew louder, and she assumed it meant that something was finally happening. People were cheering, and whistling, and she heard a few young children near her yelling "queen Elsa, Queen Elsa over here!"

They didn't half make a big deal out of it, Raven thought. She was only a queen, for goodness sake. The people around her were acting as though she was the goddess herself, come to visit the realm for the first time in centuries. Although Kings and Queens were always considered the highest in power in the mortal realm, where she was from, it was always the strongest who had the world at their fingertips. The strongest, the most powerful, and those willing to sacrifice the most in order to achieve their goals. It had made her shiver thinking about it.

As Raven looked through the gathering crowd, to the figures who were gathering so much attention she saw the red haired woman from earlier, who was arm in arm with a large blond haired boy, who was being followed by a rather nervous looking reindeer. She looked a lot more like a princess than she had when Raven had seen her. Her hair was done up in some sort of fancy bun, and she was wearing a long, expensive looking dress. She still regained a lot of that awkward, smiling girl that Raven remembered however. Her hair was coming out slightly, and her face was all smiles and laughter. The princess and her companion were laughing and talking to each other, and Raven saw her stumble a few times, and yell a little too loudly. Despite this though, her face was alight, and she was obviously enjoying every minute of it.

And then Raven caught a glimpse of the queen, and she did a double take. Queen Elsa fit the name ice queen almost as much as the host of that top secret meeting had fit being a villain. Platinum blonde hair, pale skin, her dress looking like it was literally made of ice. She walked perfectly, tall and graceful, smiling softly and waving occasionally at the crowd. Raven couldn't help but stare, impressed as the woman moved swiftly along the streets, as if she had been born to catch people's attention._ If she was nervous at all, she was concealing it well, _Raven remarked to herself. There were many oohs and ahhs from everyone.

Raven followed her from where she was, smiling as the queen walked along. Elsa's eyes seemed to shine and she took in the cheering people, and the smiling children around her.

There was something magical about her, Raven noticed, her eyes still on Elsa. Even though she was doing nothing more than walk down a street, somehow she was still fierce, and powerful. She definitely had more than half of the crowd's attention.

It was when they reached the middle of the town however, that something more eventful happened. They were walking close to the crowd, and a boy, probably around ten years old, blew into a horn, which made a loud, echoing sound. Unfortunately, he happened to be standing right next to the reindeer, which got such a fright it galloped forward a couple of metres, causing Anna and the blonde to break apart in order to avoid being hit. Elsa wasn't so lucky however, and she was knocked to the ground, her head smacking against the hard brick road.

The crowd went quiet. There were groans, and a lot of concerned noises. The princess, who realised what had happened, gasped, and ran forward. When the queen lifted herself up, Raven could see specks of blood from where her head had just been.

Suddenly, a yelp came from where they were standing. Anna lept back, narrowly avoiding being hit by the long, sharp icicles which had risen nearby. Raven felt the air go cold. The ground around the queen had frozen, and snow was starting to fall around them.

Everyone was murmuring, turning away to mutter to each other, and casting worried glances in the queen's direction. Raven could see why. Elsa had gone still, and was staring wide eyed out at them, clutching her hands as though she thought they might hurt someone. Her sister was yelling something at her, but she didn't seem to be able to hear. She was just shaking and staring, and the snow and ice all around her was building. Sharp spikes of ice were erupting from the ground.

Raven knew what it was right away, but no one else seemed to. A panic attack, she thought. She had seen it before, the same expression, the same look of terror. Raven wanted to turn away, to take her eyes off what was happening but she couldn't. The queen was on ground now, curled on her side, her hair falling around her. People were yelling, and screaming, and some were even trying desperately to help, but the snow and ice was too thick. Raven caught a glimpse of Elsa through the crowd and snow, and saw a small figure, huddled on the ground, gasping and shivering.

Shes going to kill someone, Raven suddenly realised, she's panicking, and she can't control herself. And without thinking, she ran forward. "Move it!" she growled to the panicking people, as she shoved past them, making her way towards the middle. Raven put her arms out when she reached the spears of ice, muttering under her breath, and they dissolved into snow as she stepped on them, giving her a path towards the huddled figure, the snow in the air parting as she ran through.

Raven knelt beside Elsa, who seemed a lot smaller and weaker than she had before. The queen was crying, her tears freezing to her face as she did, eyes clamped shut. Raven knew what to do. She placed her hand on Elsa's pale forehead, which was ice cold, and felt the energy flow between them. A calming spell, simple really.

Elsa's breathing became steadier, and she stopped shaking.

"You're ok," Raven told her, using her regular voice. A wave of freezing cold water splashed her face, meaning the ice must of melted. Raven breathed a sigh of relief.

"Everything's ok," Raven told her, feeling her hand warm up. "It will all be fine."

Elsa opened her eyes the tiniest fraction, and instinct made Raven want to cover her face, walk away and leave the stupid girl alone, but she didn't move. She expected the queen to gasp, or show signs of fear at the sight of Raven's face, but to her surprise, Elsa just stared dreamily at her. The little colour that had left the blonde's face was returning now.  
She almost thought she saw the queen smile, and Raven smirked back.

"Watch yourself," she told her, before she hurried away, darting quickly through the stunned and astonished crowd.

* * *

Blood, Elsa thought. Her hands were splashed with red. Her blood, she thought, and she was dizzy and confused. She could see Anna and Kristoff a few metres away, stumbling around, but it was as if they weren't there, as if they were in some other world, and she was all alone. She stood up, and stared around her. People everywhere. She looked down, and saw frost beginning to form at her feet. She blinked, and was startled to see that Anna had appeared. Anna. Elsa was making ice, using her powers. She was dangerous. People had to stay away.

At first she didn't realise where she was, and she stuck out her hand as if to shield herself from something, her breath quickened. Then she noticed the ice that had appeared around her. The world was frozen. Sharp icicles protruded from the ground, like a sea of protective spikes. Everywhere was snow.

Elsas chest started to tighten up, her arm was outstretched, and she desperately tried to melt the ice, to get rid of the danger, but she couldn't do it. Love, she thought, it was love and happiness. But all Elsa could feel was fear. Fear and desperation everywhere. She saw faces, and eyes, staring, watching her. She realised she was on the ground. The image of Hans standing before her holding a sword kept floating through her mind. "You killed your sister!" he shouted at her. "No," Elsa whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut and curling into a ball on the frost covered ground. She couldn't breathe, her mind was spinning. I am going to die, she thought weakly. She wanted to leave, to run, to disappear to a lonely place where she was free from everything, but she couldn't do anything except lie there helpless. There was a storm around her. A storm of ice and wind and fright and emotion.

For the first time in her life, Elsa felt cold. She was shivering, and the droplets of ice cold water were stinging her skin. Her body was starting to go numb. She felt sure she was going to freeze to death, right there, she couldn't move.

So she lay there, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. Just let it be over, she begged, I want it to stop. Elsa didn't know how long she had lain there. Minutes, hours? She could hear voices everywhere, but they were so distant, so disconnected.

And then, all at once, her chest lightened, and her head cleared. For a crazy second, she thought she had died, and that this was some sort of stupid afterlife. But then she heard another voice, but it was clear, almost as though it was coming from her head. It was a female voice, soft and calm. "You're ok," the stranger said, "it's just a panic attack. You will be fine,"

Elsa felt her body relaxing, "is Anna ok?" She asked the woman.

"She is fine. Everything's ok, you just need to calm down."

And Elsa believed her. "Thank you," she whispered, but it came out strained, and unintelligible

She opened her eyes, though it took effort, and found herself staring at a face. A woman, with pale, luminescent skin, long black hair and cold gray eyes was looking down at her, an amused expression on her face. Elsa stared back calmly, taking it in.

Then the woman smiled, her eyes lighting up. "Watch your back!"

And she was gone.

And so Elsa lay there, eyes out of focus, slowly breathing. She lifted her head up weakly, only to see a red and blue blur flash in front of her.

"Elsa!"

It was Anna. Elsa sat up wearily, taking in what was around her. Her feeling of light and warmth had faded, and now she was just wet and tired. The ice was gone, replaced with a giant puddle of water. There were people all around, staring at her with shocked expressions on their faces. She looked fearfully out into the crowd for what seemed like years. She didn't know what to do, or what had just happened.

"Come on,"

Elsa felt firm hands pull her up and take her shoulders, and she was being led away. Her head was still a blur. What had happened?

"She needs rest, I think. We should go back to the castle,"

Elsa recognised the voice as Kristoff's, but realising what he had just said, pulled away, and turned around to look into his face.

"I'm fine," she said in a shaky voice, then cleared her throat and added "really" sounding a lot more firm than she felt. Anna was still gazing at her, looking worried and horror stricken. Elsa glanced around, and noticed they were in an alleyway between two houses.

"We have to get back!" She said desperately, "the visitors will be here soon!"

She made a poor attempt at leaving, but Anna pulled her back. "Kai and Gerda can take care of them. You don't have to do everything by yourself Elsa. It's fine!"

She looked at Anna, then at Kristoff's, and back to Anna again. Part of her wanted to put on her Queen face, to order them back, to greet the visitors like they had been planning. But she felt weary, and very shaky

"Tell me what happened." She eventually said. It was an order.

Anna looked as though she would burst into tears, but instead, with her lip quivering, said, "After you fell over, you just went kind of out of it. Like, I tried talking to you, but I don't think you could hear me. You were sort of staring around you. You looked terrified." Anna took a deep breath, and went on, "then I tried to grab you, and you used your powers, and I had to run away. You just sort of, well freaked out after that, and started shaking, and you fell on the ground. It was so scary Elsa. You were crying and shaking and there was ice and snow all around you, no one could go near..." Anna paused, and looked worriedly at Elsa.

Elsa's blood seemed to freeze. "Did I, did I..strike anyone?" She whispered, feeling nauseous. If she had hurt anyone, frozen anyone like she had done last time.

But Anna was shaking her head. "No, we were all too far away. No one was hurt,"

Elsa breathed out, processing what Anna had said. No one had been hurt. She wasn't a murderer, not yet.

"And then what happened?" Elsa asked eventually.

Anna, although looking all the more worried, continued, "no one knew what to do, and I was starting to freak out. The ground was all frozen, and the snow kept getting heavier."

Elsa watched as Anna took a deep breath, and she felt all the more nervous.

"But then out of nowhere this tall hooded person comes running through, and the ice and snow just kind of parted as they touched it. Then they knelt down beside you, and put their Hands on your forehead, and just like that you stopped moving, and all the ice around you melted. You lay there for a bit, totally still, and I was so horrified, I thought they had killed you" A tear escaped from Anna, and she wiped it away with her sleeve. "And then they ran away, just like that, and you woke up." She finished simply.

Elsa didn't know what to say. "But who was it?" She asked

Anna shook her head, "I don't know. Just some hooded stranger. I don't think anyone saw their face."

They all stood in silence for a few minutes, then Elsa buried her face in her hands. She felt embarrassed and pathetic. She was supposed to be queen. What kind of queen breaks down over a stupid fountain. And everyone had been watching her. "I'm sorry," she choked out, trying with all her might not to cry.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Kristoff.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Elsa" he said firmly. "Now let's get back to the castle"

Elsa was about to argue, to say that she was fine, and that they could go to the docks. But she caught sight of Kristoff's gentle, concerned eyes, and realised her whole body was still numb and shaking.

Elsa nodded. She wanted nothing more.


	4. Chapter 4-The Ball

If there was ever a time that queen Elsa didn't feel like socializing and pretending to be happy, it was now.

After the ordeal in the town, the old longing to run away had hide had resurfaced, that hauntingly familiar feeling that she hadn't felt since her coronation. But she was different now, and retreating into isolation wasn't an option. So she was forced to push it away, swallowing her fear in order to be perfect at the ball she had worked so hard to arrange. The good news was that all the people she had invited had come, and apart from her being absent from it, their arrivals had gone through smoothly. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, though Elsa didn't have a way of knowing for sure. Plus, she hadn't accidentally frozen anything yet, apart from a few small nervous snowflakes. Surely that counted for something.

She was standing at the back of the great hall, which the castle employees had been decorating all day. The rooms were spotless, and the decorations had a very joyful and summer vibe to them, lots of flowers and vines. Guests had been filing in, bowing and curtsying, kissing her hand, introducing themselves with the longest and most unnecessary titles Elsa had ever heard.

"I am King Matteus of the western mountains, the high ruler of the six kingdoms of the north, four times winner of the national sword fighting tourney, and owner of the northern forests and grasslands!"

It was all relatively bearable, although Elsa was starting to feel a bit stupid, unable to think of anything better to say that, "pleasure to meet you," and "I hope you enjoy your stay." It wasn't until the first prince came, however, that Elsa really wished she was somewhere else.

"Good to meet you, your majesty," a broad, bearded man was standing before her, accompanied by a skinny and rather horse faced woman. "I am King Alexander of Stormfell, and this is my wife, Queen Madeline," a bow and a courtesy, "And this is our son, Prince Edmond"

Prince Edmond was broad, short and freckled. He had a good natured face, though the way he kissed her hand made it clear that he wasn't here by choice.  
"Pleased to meet you, Queen Elsa," He muttered, not even looking at her.

_It was incredibly childish_, Elsa thought. He didn't ask her to dance however, something which Elsa was greatly relieved by, as she could see a lot of dirt under his fingernails. The king and queen of Stormfell left, and Elsa and Edmund were left standing there awkwardly. Elsa tried making polite small talk, but she got little to know response.

"So, Prince Edmund. What is Stormfell like. Ive heard its mountains are a sight to see," Elsa asked, hoping that Prince Edmund would stop staring at the ground.

"Its ok," he replied, still not looking at her.

Elsa sighed and left it at that, and eventually, Edmund shuffled away to find his parents. Elsa spirits sunk slightly. _Had Anna really known what she was doing when she invited these Princes?_

Next was Prince Tobias, from the eastern Isles. He was accompanied by a tall, serious looking man, who introduced himself quickly as King Robert, before strutting away without so much as a backward glance. Prince Tobias was definitely handsome, Elsa remarked. He was tall like his father, with honey coloured hair and blue eyes.

He gave her a gracious bow, and gave Elsa a smile as he kissed her hand.

"I am honoured to meet you, Queen Elsa," He said. His voice was deep, "and let me say, youre beauty exteeds all the stories,"  
Elsa gave a small smile back. He was certainly charming. However, as Elsa talked to him, it soon became apparent that the compliments ended there. After ten minutes, Elsa felt that she had heard enough about him to last her a lifetime. He just would not stop talking about himself. He was handsome and talented, and he knew it.

"I'm the best rider in my family, of course. The best in the land id say. Had professional lessons and everything. Father has been trying to have me married for a while now, but hardly anyone meets my fancy. Ice powers though, thats something new. I met a warlock once, while we were travelling through the northern plains, but he wasn't anything special…,"

He kept ruffling his hair, and throwing back his head in laughter over jokes he made. He didn't ask Elsa anything about herself, except to ask her if she had ever met someone who could win a sword fight with their left hand blindfolded. She listened politely, but it was all too easy to zone out. She felt she could have walked away and he would've kept talking.

He asked her to dance eventually, and she declined, feeling that she would have rather danced with Prince Edmund than him. He didn't even look disappointed, just sniffed unapprovingly and walked away. Elsa felt like doing the same.

The third Prince, Prince Carlos, had apparently come down with flu on the way over, and was currently immobilized in bed. Elsa gave the King and Queen her sincerest apologies and well wishes, and then they left.

By then, Elsa really was considering sneaking away. The guests were having enough fun, ro so she thought, and she was starting to feel even more stupid just standing there. Suddenly however, she caught sight of Anna, who she hadn't seen all evening, her face red and hair tousled, scampering up towards her. She looked very excited, and was gesturing towards the figure that was coming towards Elsa with her thumbs up and a big smile on her face. Elsa figured out immediately what Anna meant when she caught sight of who she was looking at.

A young man was coming towards her. He had copper coloured skin, dark wavy hair, and large, hazel eyes. He was alone, which was strange, because he looked considerably younger than most people Elsa had talked to. He gave her a warm smile when he saw her, though he didn't bow or kiss her hand. Elsa was a little surprised at this, but then he leaned in and said to her quietly. "I was hoping we could talk as equals, instead of as superior to subject."  
Elsa didn't know what to say to this. If anyone else had said those words to her, they would have sounded rude, but coming from him, they sounded honest and sincere.

"I am Prince Isaac," The man said, his eyes meeting hers, "From the kingdom of Caldoro,"

"Why are you alone?" Elsa asked curiously, still looking into his warm hazel eyes.

"My parents have been very busy lately. The winter has not been good to us, and they could not find the time to leave the kingdom and travel all this way. They give their sincerest apologies,"

At this point, Anna ran up towards them, still panting slightly. "I said that Prince Isaac could stay at the kingdom for the night," She said, sounding out of breath,

"Because he had to travel a long way, and well," She looked sheepish, "Its dangerous to travel at night you know,"

"My crew are more than happy to sleep on the ship," Prince Isaac added. "Of course, i do not wish to cause you any trouble,"

"No, no," Elsa said quickly, "It is no trouble at all. You may stay for as long as you like,"

"Thank you, Queen Elsa. You are most kind," Isaac replied, bowing his head in gratitude.

Anna shot Elsa a smile, which Elsa returned. Anna certainly looked excited about something. She must have guessed what Elsa was thinking, because she burst out,

"Prince Isaac agreed to give me a sword fighting lesson!"

"What?" Elsa was surprised, "What on earth do you want a sword fighting lesson for?"

"Well, um," Anna was looking nervous, "It's just that you're well, the queen, and you have ice powers and everything. And I'm just plain old me. I'm just kind of useless."

"You're not useless," Elsa protested, "Don't ever say that about yourself!"

"I know," Anna said quickly, looking a little embarrassed, "But I'm no good at queeny stuff, you know that. So i thought that maybe if i could learn how to defend myself, i might be good for something! There's no rule that says that Princesses aren't allowed to learn to use swords!"

Elsa didn't know how to reply. Anna looked so hopeful, and so exited. Elsa couldn't think of anything she could say to object to this, though the thought of Anna with a sword was a nervous one.

"It would be my pleasure to give her a lesson," Isaac said, a smile on his face. "I have been teaching my younger siblings for a long time now, and it is my belief that it is a skill that will last you your whole life,"

Elsa looked between the two people in front of her. There was really only one answer she could give.

"Fine," She said exasperated, "But be careful, promise,"

Anna gave an excited laugh, and then hugged Elsa, "Promise!"

Elsa was initially nervous after Anna left to go tell Kristoff the good news, but soon she found that Prince Isaac was very easy to talk to. She learned that he had always loved sword fighting, ever since he saw his father in the tourneys. He told her how he had always wanted to be a knight, but being a prince it was customary for him to marry. He had an older brother who was heir to the throne, and a younger brother and sister who were twins. Surprisingly, she found his life almost as interesting as he found hers. She ended up opening up to him more than she expected, telling her about her powers, and Olaf, and Anna. When he asked her to dance, she accepted happily. He was a good dancer, and his hands were warm and steady. This wasn't so bad, she thought, as they twirled around the dancefloor. A good number of people had stopped to watch them, and Elsa soon became aware that many of the other dancers had stopped to give them more space. She was initially embarrassed, but soon she found she didn't care. It was technically _her_ ball, after all.

* * *

With Elsa dancing gracefully around with Prince Isaac, Anna was ready to believe that maybe this ball would be perfect. She had known Elsa would like him as soon as she had talked to him. Isaac was just so handsome and kind, and anyone would be an idiot not to fall in love with Elsa right away. He had even agreed to teach her some swordfighting, and she couldn't wait. Even though Kristoff seemed to think it was a bad idea.

"You practically injure yourself waking up in the morning! Imagine you with a sword, I would fear for my life!"

Anna knew it had been a joke, and she had laughed, but it did embarrass her how stupid and clumsy she could be. perhaps if she got good at using a sword, she could help defend the castle!

A picture formed in her head of her and Elsa defending the kingdom, her dressed in armour and sword, and Elsa using ice, fighting against attacking dragons. She giggled to herself.

Anna shook her head, and moved around excitedly, introducing herself and Kristoff to anyone who looked even the slightest bit bored, whether they wanted to talk or not. There sure were some interesting people to meet.

Kristoff looked pretty worn out however, his hair which had been so neatly gelled back was beginning to look shaggy and ruffled again. So Anna made herself calm down a little and together they rested on the stone steps outside.

After a while, Anna felt something freezing cold attack her from behind, and she yelped and turned around, only to see Olaf, the little talking snowman, who had given her a hug from behind.

"Hi, Olaf!" She said with a smile, prising him off her. She hadn't seen the snowman in a few days. Now that he was free to travel anywhere without melting, he like to wander the kingdom, making friends and giving out what he called "warm hugs."

"This party is wonderful!" Olaf chimed, looking around him, then frowning "these people don't really appreciate my hugs though,"

"Don't worry," Anna replied, "they're just not used to magical snowmen. If they knew you like I do, I'm sure they would love you"

Olaf seemed satisfied with that answer, and he plopped himself down next to Anna, causing her to have to jump up to avoid the ends of her dress getting sat on.  
Anna had only just stood up however, when she found a man standing in front of her. He had , dark brown hair that fell over his eyes, a goatee, and was looking at Anna with a smug looking grin.

"So, princess of Arandelle?" He said, looking her up and down, a smirk starting to appear on his face, "we finally meet. I wasn't really expecting to hear from you again, thought this kingdom would be all icy by now. I mean, all it took was you getting engaged last time. But i guess you live to see another day, huh?"

Anna was bewildered. Had he really just said that to her?

"Totally ruined our vacation though, just saying. I mean, we hadn't exactly packed fur coats, had we? Still, i suppose it was pretty _cool_. I don't mind the snow so much. You could say that for me, the whole thing was rather," he leaned in closer to her, "_Chilled_,"

"Ex..Excuse me?" Anna stepped back, trying to keep her voice calm.

A cheeky grin suddenly appeared on the mans face, and he burst out laughing, leaving Anna feeling very confused.

"Whats so funny!?" She demanded, her voice sounding a little higher than she had intended.

"Ignore him!"

Someone else was coming hurriedly up the stairs.

"Honestly Eugene," The woman had reached them and had grabbed the man's shoulders, panting. She had short, dark hair in a pixie cut, a pink dress, and big green eyes. Although she sounded serious, she was smiling. "Don't piss them off before we've even introduced ourselves,"

"Ok then," The man swept himself into a very over exaggerated bow, "Your highness. The names Flynn. Flynn Rider. And this beautiful lady is Princess Rap-!"

"I'm Rapunzel!" Rapunzel interrupted, grinning and rolling her eyes at Flynn.

"Oh!" Anna's eyes widened, "I invited you! Welcome to Arandelle. Um, back to Arandelle,"

Anna was somewhat surprised at her cousin. From what she had heard, Rapunzel had long beautiful golden hair, that could cure the sick and make the old young again. She wondered why she had cut it off.

To her surprise, Rapunzel pulled Anna into a hug, "Its so good to finally meet you! And its not even snowing this time! I bought our coats, just in case though. The king and queen couldn't make it, but they said they were very sorry"

She then gave Kristoff a hug, much to his surprise.

"Oh yeah, this is Kristoff," Anna said quickly, noticing him looking uncomfortable.

"Good to meet you too!"

Anna smiled, and then something caught her eye from the place that Rapunzel had been standing. A small boy, about two years old, was standing there holding a teddy bear nervously. He had messy, dark brown hair, and the same bright green eyes as Rapunzel.  
Flynn noticed Anna staring and grinned and nudged the boy forward.

"This is Theodore," Flynn told her.

Anna couldn't help but smile in delight. "I didnt know you had a son!"

"Well, I suppose the stories don't really mention it. Most people are more interested in hearing about Punzel's kidnapping and her magic deadly hair," Flynn replied.

"Wait, what!?" Anna's mouth dropped open.

"I'll tell you about it someday," Flynn said with a mysterious smile.

Theodore, who had been glancing shyly up at Anna, suddenly saw something behind her which made his small face light up into a smile.

"Snow!" he yelled, and ran forward, his arms outstretched. Anna turned, startled to see him launch himself at Olaf.

"Wow!" Olaf remarked, "Someone actually wants to give me a hug now!"

It was rather entertaining watching the small boy grab Olaf's head and attempt to run off with it, shrieking with laughter at the same time. Rapunzel eventually made him stop however, and Olaf stepped to the side quickly, looking overwhelmed for the first time in his life.

Anna, Kristoff, Rapunzel and Flynn were all very amused when it was over.

"So where's the queen then?" Flynn asked, Theodore on his shoulders, "Attending to her Queenly duties im guessing," Anna suddenly remembered Prince Isaac, "She's dancing with a prince!" She exclaimed, "And he's really handsome and kind and-" she suddenly broke off, thinking hard.

"Omigod, what if he proposes to her!?"

Anna gasped. What was she doing out here?

"Better go check it out then," Rapunzel said, chuckling, and they all headed back into the castle.

* * *

Of all the things that Raven hated about mortals, she had decided that their social gatherings were the worst. Especially this one.  
Her cloak, which she had grown so accustomed to wearing, was gone. Unfortunately, helping the Queen through a panic attack had proved more troubling than she thought. There was talk all over town of the hooded sorcerer that had saved the Queen. It was all very over dramatized, and most people that Raven had talked to considered this hooded stranger to be a man, and even though it was more than likely due to her height, it still annoyed Raven. Anyway, she didn't think that she would go unnoticed while wearing it anymore.

Although she was still grumpy about having to go without her cloak, Ravens night had gone relativley well. She had managed to apparate into the castle grounds without being spotted, not that anything would have happened if she had. The royal, fancy dressed mortals were so engulfed in their own little world that they would hardly have blinked an eyelid if they had seen the tall woman in a long, dark blue dress appear out of thin air in front of them. Raven had decided that blending in was probably her best option, but dressing like a mortal and sneaking into the ball was not on the top of her favorite things to do list. It was important though.

Raven had sensed the presence of strong magic almost as soon as she had left the town square. It wasn't the Queens magic either, the Princess's. Something new, and different had arrived, and unfortunately, although easy enough for Raven to detect, it was very hard to trace.

Since the only newcomers were the guests arriving for the ball, who would all be in contact with Queen Elsa, the ball seemed like the best place to start.

She was wearing a long dress, which she had bought before coming, as procuring clothes had never been her strong point. She preferred fire, and deadly light.

While walking up the stairs that led to the castle, she saw Anna and that blonde boy in conversation with a brunette couple with a small boy. Raven stopped when she saw a small, living snowman with a cloud above its head. She had to stifle a laugh. She couldn't think of a more useless way to use the power of ice. Still, the fact that Elsa had the power to create life was interesting, Raven had only seen very powerful sorcerers wield that kind of power.

When Raven arrived in the ballroom, the ball was in full blow. It was easy enough to walk around unnoticed, even though she was at least a foot taller than most people there. She didn't have to look very far before catching sight of Elsa, who looked as breathtaking as ever. She was dancing around the middle of the ballroom, which was almost empty as most of the other people had cleared to watch them, with a dark haired man, who, by the way he was dressed was obviously royal. Elsa looked incredibly graceful, twirling around in her ice dress and long plait, and Raven found herself yet again mesmerized by her. She then turned her attention to the man she was dancing with. Raven didnt recognize him, and there was no way of telling if he was a magic user, a threat, or just a simple prince. Raven made a mental note to keep an eye on him until he left.

When it stopped everyone clapped and cheered, and Raven even saw a few people wipe tears from their eyes. Honestly, she thought.  
Queen Elsa was quiet, still holding the man's hand, and looking happily embarrassed as she looked out into the crowd.  
It happened quite quickly. The man whispered something into Elsa's ear, and the blonde's smile faded slightly, her body going still. She was still looking out into the oblivious crowd, some of whom were still clapping. And then she looked at Raven and she stopped. Nervous ice blue eyes met cold grey ones, and Raven knew at once that she had been recognised. But she didn't break the gaze. She just looked at Elsa's silent, almost pleading face, and she didn't even notice that the people around her had finally stopped clapping.

* * *

Elsa had seen it coming miles away. The proposal. She had seen it in Isaac's eyes when they were dancing, and even he had first introduced himself. He was a suitor, a prince. Princes never wasted time.

She was thankful at least that he didn't make it into a big scene. They had stopped dancing, and people were clapping, and he had leaned over and whispered into her ear, "you dance well. You are very beautiful. What more could anyone want? Queen Elsa, will you marry me?"

She may have seen it coming, but she still wasn't prepared. What had she been thinking, dancing with him. She hadn't even considered the possibility that she would have to answer a marriage proposal at this ball.

Since she was so stuck on what to do, she found herself looking out at the people around her, at the royals. She saw Anna and Kristoff, who were smiling and nodding in her direction. They had definitely made up their minds.

She hadn't thought it could get any more sudden for her, and then she saw grey eyes, and she stopped dead. A woman was standing amongst the crowd. She was tall, with long black hair that fell to her waist, and she had startling grey eyes. She stared at Elsa, not intimidating, more curious, and Elsa knew that this was the woman. With all the drama of the ball, she had almost forgotten the pale face that had stared down at her from beneath that cloak. It was coming back to her now though, the woman. She had helped Elsa, and told her to calm down, and stopped her from hurting anyone. Anna had said she had gotten past her ice with ease. _Was she another magic user?_

The woman gave a knowing smile, and started to turn away. No! Something inside Elsa seemed to spring to life. She would not let the hooded stranger disappear this time. But. She turned to Isaac, who was looking at her expectantly. He wanted an answer, but Elsa was distracted.

"I'm so sorry, Prince Isaac. I cannot make a decision at this moment. Please, you will have to be patient with me. Again, I'm sorry"

Then she tore off across the room.


End file.
